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Star gazers gather to view meteor shower

Each year in August is the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, the Northern Hemisphere’s finest annual display of shooting stars.

One of the best places to see the meteors in North America is at the Lennox and Addington Dark Sky Viewing Area, located at 7980 County Rd. 41 near Erinsville, 37 kilometres north of Napanee.

The site is hosting a two-night Perseid meteor shower event on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 11 and 12, beginning at 9:30 p.m.

These stargazing sessions are very weather dependent and will take place only if the sky is mostly free of clouds. Organizers recommend that those interested in attending go online to www.DarkSkyViewing.com or www.Facebook.com/darkskyviewing for the most up-to-date information about viewing conditions.

If you watch the night sky for at least 15 minutes, you are almost guaranteed to see at least one meteor — likely more. At its best, the shower can produce more than 50 meteors per hour. The brightest meteors can be brighter than the brightest stars. Conditions will not be ideal, unfortunately, as the moon will be three-quarters full during the peak. There will be some interference from its light that will make it more difficult to see some of the smaller meteors.

Telescopes or binoculars are not required for meteor viewing, nor are they recommended because the bright streaks move quickly and can appear anywhere in the sky. The key is a dark sky, which the Dark Sky Viewing Area provides. The longer you watch, the more meteors will flash through the sky. Visitors are encouraged to bring a lounge chair or a blanket to lie on to get the best view of the skies overhead.

In addition to the meteor shower, a brief laser-guided tour of the night sky will also be performed by local dark sky enthusiast Joe Gilker on both nights. Those in attendance can also take a look through a telescope at some celestial objects above.